OECD Unique Identifier details

ACS-BNØØ7-1

Commodity:

Canola / Oilseed rape / Rape Seed

Traits:

Glufosinate tolerance

Australia

Name of product applicant:

Aventis CropScience Pty Ltd

Summary of application:

Aventis Crop Science Pty Ltd have submitted an application to ANZFA to vary Standard A18 to include all food products derived from glufosinate-ammonium tolerant and pollination controlled canola. The lines encompassed by this application are known commercially in North America as LibertyLink open pollinated and InVigor hybrid canola.
Seven lines (known as Topas 19/2, T45, Ms1, Ms8, Rf1, Rf2 and Rf3) of canola (Brassica napus, B. rapa and crosses) have been genetically modified to confer tolerance to the broad-spectrum herbicide, glufosinate-ammonium. Five of these lines have been generated primarily for use in a hybrid seed production system by expressing one of two genes that enable control of pollen production, in conjunction with the herbicide tolerance trait. Two lines of open pollinated canola have been genetically modified with the herbicide tolerance trait only. Three traits may be contained within an individual transformed canola line, however not all lines contain all the traits. The genes coding for the new traits are the bacterial genes bar (or pat), barnase, barstar and npt II.

The bar and pat genes produce an enzyme, phosphinothricin acetyl transferase (PAT), that metabolises the herbicide phosphinothricin (PPT) into an inactive form. Phosphinothricin is the active ingredient of the commercial herbicide glufosinate-ammonium. Glufosinate-ammonium is currently registered in Australia under the commercial name of Basta for non-selective uses, or Finale for turf and home garden uses, and as Buster in New Zealand.

The mode of action of glufosinate-ammonium (or phosphinothricin) is to inhibit the plant enzyme glutamine synthetase (GS), an essential enzyme in nitrogen metabolism and amino acid biosynthesis in plants. The result of GS inhibition is the over accumulation of inorganic ammonia leading to the death of plant cells.

In addition to the herbicide tolerance gene, five of the GM canola lines for use in hybrid
production contain either of the genes, barnase and barstar. Expression of the barnase gene in specific plant cells induces male sterility (Ms) and when these plants are crossed with fertility restorer (Rf) canola plants expressing the barstar gene, fertility is restored in the hybrid offspring. Hybrids produced from conventional crosses between the Ms and Rf lines are reported to have significantly higher yields of oil-bearing seeds.

Canola oil and meal are the two major products produced from oilseed rape plants. Canola oil is used extensively in the food industry as vegetable oil and in products such as margarine, salad dressings, bakery products, low-fat foods and confectionery. It is also used in pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements. Canola meal is used only as a protein supplement in animal feed.

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Date of authorization:

09/05/2002

Scope of authorization:

Food

Links to the information on the same product in other databases maintained by relevant international organizations, as appropriate. (We recommend providing links to only those databases to which your country has officially contributed.):

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is the regulatory agency responsible for the development of food standards in Australia and New Zealand. The main office (approximately 120 staff) is located in Canberra (in the Australian Capital Territory) and the smaller New Zealand office (approximately 15 staff) is located in Wellington on the North Island.

FSANZ does not: Separately assess food from stacked event lines where food from the GM parents has already been approved; Mandate notification of stacked events by developers; Notify the public of stacked event ‘approvals’; List food derived from stacked event lines in the Code, unless the stacked event line has been separately assessed as a single line e.g. Application A518: MXB-13 cotton (DAS-21023-5 x DAS-24236-5)

No separate approval or safety assessment is necessary for foods derived from a stacked GM line that is the result of traditional breeding between a number of GM parent lines for which food has already been approved. Food from the parent lines must be listed in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. The parent lines may contain any number of different genes. If food from any of the GM parent lines has not been approved, then a full pre-market safety assessment of food from the stacked line must be undertaken.

No separate approval is required for food derived from a line that is the product of a GM line, for which food has been approved, crossed traditionally with a non-GM line.

Where a single line containing a number of genes has been produced as a result of direct gene technology methods (rather than traditional crossing) then food derived from the line must undergo a full pre-market safety assessment before approval can be given

Contact details of the competent authority(s) responsible for the safety assessment and the product applicant:

Canola (Brassica napus L.) line HCN92 was developed through genetic modification to be tolerant to glufosinate ammonium, which is the active ingredient of the herbicide Liberty®. The modification permits farmers to use the broad-spectrum herbicide for weed control in the cultivation of canola without damaging the crop.

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Date of authorization:

16/02/1995

Scope of authorization:

Food and feed

Links to the information on the same product in other databases maintained by relevant international organizations, as appropriate. (We recommend providing links to only those databases to which your country has officially contributed.):

Federal responsibility for the regulations dealing with foods sold in Canada, including novel foods, is shared by Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Health Canada is responsible for establishing standards and policies governing the safety and nutritional quality of foods and developing labelling policies related to health and nutrition. The CFIA develops standards related to the packaging, labelling and advertising of foods, and handles all inspection and enforcement duties. The CFIA also has responsibility for the regulation of seeds, veterinary biologics, fertilizers and livestock feeds. More specifically, CFIA is responsible for the regulations and guidelines dealing with cultivating plants with novel traits and dealing with livestock feeds and for conducting the respective safety assessments, whereas Health Canada is responsible for the regulations and guidelines pertaining to novel foods and for conducting safety assessments of novel foods.

The mechanism by which Health Canada controls the sale of novel foods in Canada is the mandatory pre-market notification requirement as set out in Division 28 of Part B of the Food and Drug Regulations.

Manufacturers or importers are required under these regulations to submit information to Health Canada regarding the product in question so that a determination can be made with respect to the product's safety prior to sale. The safety criteria for the assessment of novel foods outlined in the current guidance document (i.e. Canadian Guidelines for the Safety Assessment of Novel Foods) were derived from internationally established scientific principles and guidelines developed through the work of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Codex Alimentarius Commission. These guidelines provide for both the rigour and the flexibility required to determine the need for notification and to conduct the safety assessment of the broad range of food products being developed. This flexibility is needed to allow novel foods and food products to be assessed on a case-by-case basis and to take into consideration future scientific advances.

Food: Consistent with the definition of "novel food" in Division 28 of the Food and Drug Regulations, the progeny derived from the conventional breeding of approved genetically modified plants (one or both parents are genetically modified) would not be classified as a novel food unless some form of novelty was introduced into such progeny as a result of the cross, hence triggering the requirement for pre-market notification under Division 28. For example, notification may be required for modifications observed in the progeny that result in a change of existing characteristics of the plant that places those characteristics outside of the accepted range, or, that introduce new characteristics not previously observed in that plant (e.g. a major change has occurred in the expression levels of traits when stacked). In addition, the use of a wild species (interspecific cross) not having a history of safe use in the food supply in the development of a new plant line may also require notification to Health Canada. However, molecular stacks are considered new events and are considered to be notifiable as per Division 28.

Feed:

Contact details of the competent authority(s) responsible for the safety assessment and the product applicant:

Neil Strand, Section Head of Novel Foods

New Zealand

Name of product applicant:

Aventis CropScience Pty Ltd

Summary of application:

Aventis Crop Science Pty Ltd have submitted an application to ANZFA to vary Standard A18 to include all food products derived from glufosinate-ammonium tolerant and pollination controlled canola. The lines encompassed by this application are known commercially in North America as LibertyLink open pollinated and InVigor hybrid canola.Seven lines (known as Topas 19/2, T45, Ms1, Ms8, Rf1, Rf2 and Rf3) of canola (Brassica napus, B. rapa and crosses) have been genetically modified to confer tolerance to the broad-spectrum herbicide, glufosinate-ammonium. Five of these lines have been generated primarily for use in a hybrid seed production system by expressing one of two genes that enable control of pollen production, in conjunction with the herbicide tolerance trait. Two lines of open pollinated canola have been genetically modified with the herbicide tolerance trait only. Three traits may be contained within an individual transformed canola line, however not all lines contain all the traits. The genes coding for the new traits are the bacterial genes bar (or pat), barnase, barstar and npt II.

The bar and pat genes produce an enzyme, phosphinothricin acetyl transferase (PAT), that metabolises the herbicide phosphinothricin (PPT) into an inactive form. Phosphinothricin is the active ingredient of the commercial herbicide glufosinate-ammonium. Glufosinate-ammonium is currently registered in Australia under the commercial name of Basta for non-selective uses, or Finale for turf and home garden uses, and as Buster in New Zealand.

The mode of action of glufosinate-ammonium (or phosphinothricin) is to inhibit the plant enzyme glutamine synthetase (GS), an essential enzyme in nitrogen metabolism and amino acid biosynthesis in plants. The result of GS inhibition is the over accumulation of inorganic ammonia leading to the death of plant cells.

In addition to the herbicide tolerance gene, five of the GM canola lines for use in hybridproduction contain either of the genes, barnase and barstar. Expression of the barnase gene in specific plant cells induces male sterility (Ms) and when these plants are crossed with fertility restorer (Rf) canola plants expressing the barstar gene, fertility is restored in the hybrid offspring. Hybrids produced from conventional crosses between the Ms and Rf lines are reported to have significantly higher yields of oil-bearing seeds.

Canola oil and meal are the two major products produced from oilseed rape plants. Canola oil is used extensively in the food industry as vegetable oil and in products such as margarine, salad dressings, bakery products, low-fat foods and confectionery. It is also used in pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements. Canola meal is used only as a protein supplement in animal feed.

Upload:

Date of authorization:

20/12/2002

Scope of authorization:

Food

Links to the information on the same product in other databases maintained by relevant international organizations, as appropriate. (We recommend providing links to only those databases to which your country has officially contributed.):

Edible oil from the glufosinate-ammonium tolerant and pollination-controlled canola lines
have been evaluated according to the safety assessment guidelines prepared by ANZFA.
The assessment considered the following issues: (1) the nature of the genetic modification;
(2) general safety issues such as novel protein expression and the potential for transfer of
novel genetic material to cells in the human digestive tract; (3) toxicological issues; and (4)
nutritional issues. On the basis of the available information, ANZFA concluded that oil
from the seven lines of herbicide-tolerant and pollination-controlled canola is as safe and
wholesome as oil from other commercial varieties of canola.

New Zealand and Australia share a joint food regulation system for the composition of labelling of most foods. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is the regulatory agency responsible for the development of the joint food standards in Australia and New Zealand. The main office (approximately 120 staff) is located in Canberra (in the Australian Capital Territory) and the smaller New Zealand office (approximately 15 staff) is located in Wellington on the North Island.

FSANZ does not: Separately assess food from stacked event lines where food from the GM parents has already been approved; Mandate notification of stacked events by developers; Notify the public of stacked event ‘approvals’; List food derived from stacked event lines in the Code, unless the stacked event line has been separately assessed as a single line e.g. Application A518: MXB-13 cotton (DAS-21023-5 x DAS-24236-5)

Contact details of the competent authority(s) responsible for the safety assessment and the product applicant:

Links to the information on the same product in other databases maintained by relevant international organizations, as appropriate. (We recommend providing links to only those databases to which your country has officially contributed.):

Summary of the safety assessment (food safety):

Please consult the FDA website links below.

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Where detection method protocols and appropriate reference material (non-viable, or in certain circumstances, viable) suitable for low-level situation may be obtained:

Relevant links to documents and information prepared by the competent authority responsible for the safety assessment:

The United States is currently in the process of populating this database. The Food and Drug Administration regulates food and feed (food for humans and animals) from genetically engineered crops in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA regulates pesticides, including those that are plant incorporated protectants genetically engineered into food crops, to make sure that pesticide residues are safe for human and animal consumption and do not pose unreasonable risks of harm to human health or the environment. FDA In the Federal Register of May 29, 1992 (57 FR 22984), FDA published its "Statement of Policy: Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties" (the 1992 policy). The 1992 policy clarified the agency's interpretation of the application of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to human and animal foods derived from new plant varieties and provided guidance to industry on scientific and regulatory issues related to these foods. The 1992 policy applied to all foods derived from all new plant varieties, including varieties that are developed using genetic engineering (also known as recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) technology). In the 1992 policy, FDA recommended that developers consult with FDA about foods from genetically engineered plants under development and developers have routinely done so. In June 1996, FDA provided additional guidance to industry on procedures for these consultations (the consultation procedures). These procedures describe a process in which a developer who intends to commercialize food from a genetically engineered plant meets with the agency to identify and discuss relevant safety, nutritional, or other regulatory issues regarding the genetically engineered food and then submits to FDA a summary of its scientific and regulatory assessment of the food. FDA evaluates the submission and if FDA has questions about the summary provided, it requests clarification from the developer. At the conclusion of the consultation FDA responds to the developer by letter. The approach to the safety assessment of genetically engineered food recommended by FDA during consultations, including data and information evaluated, is consistent with that described in the Codex Alimentarius Guideline for the Conduct of Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Recombinant-DNA Plants. EPA The safe use of pesticidal substances is regulated by EPA. Food from a genetically engineered plant that is the subject of a consultation with FDA may contain an introduced pesticidal substance, also known as a plant-incorporated protectant (PIP), that is subject to food (food for humans and animals) safety and environmental review by EPA. PIPs are pesticidal substances produced by plants and the genetic material necessary for the plant to produce the substance. Both the PIP protein and its genetic material are regulated by EPA. When assessing the potential risks of PIPs, EPA requires studies examining numerous factors, such as risks to human health, non-target organisms and the environment, potential for gene flow, and insect resistance management plans, if needed. In regulating PIPs, decisions are based on scientific standards and input from academia, industry, other Federal agencies, and the public. Before the first PIP product was registered in 1995, EPA required that PIP products be thoroughly tested against human safety standards before they were used on human food and livestock feed crops. EPA scientists assessed a wide variety of potential effects associated with the use of PIPs, including toxicity, and allergenicity. These potential effects were evaluated in light of the public's potential exposures to these pesticides, taking into account all potential combined sources of the exposure (food, drinking water, etc.) to determine the likelihood that a person exposed at these levels would be predisposed to a health risk. Based on its reviews of the scientific studies and often peer reviews by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Scientific Advisory Panel, EPA determined that these genetically engineered PIP products, when used in accordance with approved label directions and use restrictions, would not pose unreasonable risk to human health and the environment during their time-limited registration.

Stacked events that are each plant incorporated protectants, as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency, must be registered by the Envriornmental Protection Agency before they can be commercialized. Food/feed safety asssessment of single events are generally sufficient to ensure the safety of food/feed from stacked events.

Contact details of the competent authority(s) responsible for the safety assessment and the product applicant: